The invention concerns a container for compacting paper waste. As paper waste is also regarded other pliable cellulose-containing waste like cardboard and laminates comprising a substantial constituent of this. The invention is also applicable with other sheet-formed and slightly elastic materials.
Such compacting containers for industrial application are prior art, e.g. from public recycling stations, where the waste may be dumped into an upwardly facing opening under which there is a hydraulic piston mechanism which is activated at suitable time intervals for compacting the waste delivered into the container. In these compacting containers, a driving mechanism, i.e. hydraulic cylinders and possible hydraulic pumps, are situated at one side of the opening while the compartment, in which the waste is compressed and stored, is arranged at the other side of the opening. Such devices are known, e.g. from DE 42 30 775 and 42 11 059. A substantial part of the container volume is constituted by the hydraulic compacting device. This is an unsuitable design as the dimensions of the containers are limited in order to be transported by lorry, and since the container volume therefore cannot be utilised for storing and transport.
DE-A1-24 19 352 describes a compacting container where a compacting device in the form of a door may press the waste into the container and mainly in the horizontal direction with hydraulic cylinders provided along the sides of container. The door is disposed at the filling end of the container and suspended pivotably about a horizontal axis at the lower edge of the container and is provided with upright sides at its lateral edges perpendicularly to the axis, as the door can pivot between an open filling position in which it is projecting out from the container and a closed position in contact with the container. The invention concerns such a compacting container.
Since the hydraulic cylinders are disposed at the sides of the container, the useful volume of the container is increased. The door with the upright sides functions as collecting container, and in the closed position of the door, this collecting container does not take up space because the upright sides are moved along the fixed sides of the container. In this construction, the paper waste is compressed only by the compacting of the door of the waste at the filling opening. Since the main part of the mixed paper waste acts resiliently when subjected to pressure, the waste will follow (expand) when the door is opened again for receiving a new portion of waste. Therefore, by this construction it will be limited how much waste may be compressed, and, compared with the above mentioned constructions which usually have a piston pressing the waste far into the container, not as much may be compacted.